Herbal Remedy

In the past I've mentioned my garden, which at present time consists of the planter beds that run the length of the house, a 4 ft. quarter circle at the edge of the driveway, and a few potted plants.

The rest of the yard is a horror of dying weeds, half finished sprinkler system with open trenches and curling black pipe poking out of the ground, and in a few spots some of the grass seed I've spread twice this year is taking in the wimpiest way.

What has done remarkably well this year are my herbs. I have harvested them over and over, and most of the time you will find several bunches of herbs drying in my kitchen. what I haven't found is the appropriate way to hang them. I need to hang a rack or something. In fact, I think I'll head out when I'm done blogging. The pictures I cannot find are of my mint, which is in flower at the moment, dill weed, sprouted from handfuls of twenty-five year old dill seed thrown into the garden on a whim, and the lemon thyme. Lemon thyme is an incredible herb, with a lovely aroma, and it actually makes a great herbal tea (correctly known as a tisane). I also am growing yarrow, used in herbal remedies and remarkable for being easy to grow, split and transplant. Tarragon is another favorite, which grows like a weed, and I'm considering using it as a border plant.

Rosemary smells wonderful, but I need to grow more of it. I dearly love freshly made rolls made with rosemary. In fact, there isn't an herb in my garden including previously unmentioned basil, oregano and cilantro, that doesn't smell wonderful. Rubbing a leaf or a flower between my fingers releases a wonderful aroma that soothes the senses and gives a lift to my mood.

I plan to grow lemon thyme between the stepping stones in the back yard, to release it's scent with each step. Adding a raised bed for the lavender, I would like to try various varieties until I find what works best in this climate, and begin to harvest it for the aroma, to scent drawers and closets. I love to walk through a yard with pleasant aromas coming at you as a surprise as you examine the variety of plants, or listen to the birds flitting from plant to feeder.

Well, I'm heading out but before I go I will take a quick smell of the various herbs in my garden.

Desperation & Intervention

Sitting in church this morning the speaker asked us to think of the things in our lives which are our places of desperation. As he suggested many areas where people find those places, I found many of them ringing true with me. In the area of work, there are the joint struggles of running a construction firm and beginning real estate in a down market. In the area of family, there is the struggle of my dad's health problems, wanting to help but unable to do so, the rift that has developed between some family members over that issue. I have a son in Iraq, a daughter in California, marrying someone I don't know who does not share our faith, and another son heading back to college. In the area of finances, while we make money (at least on paper) we are often cash poor. In the area of health, well, I don't want to go into that again. There are often the struggles just to deal with loneliness. Well, if you've read my blog you know what I'm talking about.

The thing is, that we are not meant to live without struggles, and perhaps we aren't meant to understand what is going on. It isn't that we are supposed to solve the problems, but that we are to walk through the problems with Christ. We are to learn who God is and how he acts for us in the midst of adversity, and how he wants to walk with us, so that we begin to walk in faith and trust.

Indeed, how else should we walk? If the Old Testament is to be taken as history (and I believe that it is), then we should remember that when things were at their bleakest God stepped in. When three of the children of Isreal, Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzer, they were bound and thrown into a furnace so hot that the soldiers who had thrown them in died.

When the King took a look, he saw not three rotisseried Isrealites, but four men, unbound, walking in the furnace. The fourth man, according to the king was the Son of God. God stepped in when things appeared to be at their worst. These guys refused to bow to a false idol. They followed their God at all cost. And God was with them to the point of keeping them from singed hair, clothing or even the smell of smoke. I guess the point for me is once again to remember that God is in the business of caring for and taking care of those who are his own. I have no reason for panic. If there were a time for panic, being bound and ordered to be thrown into a furnace heated up to seven times what it had been before would be the time. When the soldiers were killed by the heat and flames, I would likely have turned into a blubbering fool. The panic I feel when things go wrong is unworthy of my experience of God's caring intervention in the circumstances of my life. My past experience is of a God who cares and never leaves me alone in the midst of trials. I may not understand the trial, the sickness, the financial difficulty, the family trouble, the turmoil in the world, injustice, whatever, but God has never failed me. Not ever.

A song I have sung says "Sometimes he calms the storm and other times he calms his child." I have found this to be true. Thinking on the faithfulness of a God who does not change, may not make me understand the trial, but it does give me hope and quiet confidence that this too shall pass.

So in the midst of a persistent depression, (a mild one, don't worry) I trust that this too shall be a season in which God displays his faithfulness, his love and his abundant mercy. Why do I doubt that the God who kept Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego safe in the inferno will care for me? God intervenes on my behalf during times of desperation.

The Dog Days

While some find the summer days calling them to vigorous outdoor pursuits, they call me to iced drinks, long reads and afternoon snoozes. I don't really get to nap, but for a few hours in the afternoon I can scarcely keep my eyes open. As temperatures hit the upper 90's and top 100, it is hard to move, expending as little energy as possible to keep my internal tempoerature down as much as possible. I'm amazed by men who can work in the heat day after day, while temperatures soar and the sun beats down on them. Roofers, pavers, framers and others somehow manage to work hard all summer long and never seem to succumb to the languor that afflicts me.

Then there are those crazy people who decide that 97 degrees is the perfect temperature for...biking, hiking, running, jogging, tennis, golf, etc. Some of you seem to enjoy sweating. I HATE sweating. I don't get the appeal. I'd rather do just about anything else.

Simulcast

I've been watching a friend's blog for her while she is on a road trip. This consists of adding post from guest bloggers, and today I added one of my own. You can read it here.

I had an interesting day today. I met with the realtor whose open house I will be sitting this weekend. She graciously went over how she does an open house, how she prepares, what to bring, how to deal with problems that come up, follow through, sogn placement, etc. What many people don't know about open houses is that statistically your home isn't sold through an open house. Of course you can't afford to ignore any of the bases. The fact is that some homes ARE sold at the open house.

Next I met with a mortgage banker who I have been working with. He's a really good guy, and I hope to do a lot of business with him. We had an interesting talk, and he said I had encouraged him, which is not a bad way to spend your time, if you ask me. Then I raced up to the north end of town to catch my husband on his way out of town.

We headed to Longmont where the plan was to go up for the inspection of a small shopping center project and to pick up all our tools. The best laid plans...

The work was not ready for inspection, and so Steve worked with our lead guy for several hours trying to finish things. The inspection had to be cancelled due to the work delay, but when we left, the tools were all loaded on the truck, and the job is about half an hour from inspection ready and can be completed with only a few missing pieces picked up from our supply house.

Between one thing and another we didn't get home 'til after 10 tonight, with a garden to water and a "lawn" to water. I have seeded the yard, front and back, twice in the past three weeks. Portions of it are taking, but major portions of the yard are barren, except for some particularly vigorous weeds.

I have no great insights today, no revelations or pithy thoughts, but it was a strange day. Too busy to eat, I had nothing but a frappachino lite and some pretzels until we stopped at Outback. what is usually at least two meals made one. How, I'm not sure. I haven't been able to eat that much in one sitting for a long time. Most times I can't even try. I can't remember when I last left a restaurant without a to go box.

Earlier, while Steve was working, I took advantage of the opportunity to head to the Longmont mall. I found a store closing sale and actually found three pair of pants that fit. That never happens. I didn't buy them, but am thinking about going to my local branch of that same store and see if they have those pants. The problem is that I never look as good in clothes as I do the first time I try them on in the fitting room mirrors. For whatever reason, I seem to be able to delude myself that things look good only to find out later that they don't at all. This is, of course, after I have worn and washed those clothes and can no longer return them. So perhaps it's better not to buy the clothes at all, and not be disappointed.

Well, goodnight dear reader. Come visit my open house this weekend. Or come visit Community Church of the Rockies this weekend (9 and 11). I will be there singing both services. I'm having to step in and sing a song in a key that is really tough for me. It is a step or two too high, but we had a problem with wrong charts and one of our musicions who cannot learn it in a new key in two days time. I don't blame him at all. We are not all natural musicians. Most of us must practice, and last minute changes are pretty difficult. Maybe that is the lesson of the day. We can all learn to do things well, but we have different talents and abilities as well as different training. There are certain things that will always take a lot of effort and time to do well. For me, it isn't the harmonizing or singing the lead. It's not the notes, though I do practice, especially if a song has difficult breathing requirements for my asthmatic self. What is hard for me is lyrics. I get them mixed up, which you cannot do when you are leading, or when people are following the lyrics on screen. For this musician, he poured hours into learning the songs to play them properly, and it is unkind to try to make him wing it. I hope that you have found something worth the effort, and that you are honored for that work. Good Night!

The Greatest Woman You Never Met

I say without reservation that my friend Kathi Sipes is probably the greatest woman I know. I have spent years learning from her as I reveled in her friendship. I have learned more about living my faith by watching her and studying what she is like, than by any book or Bible study outside of the Bible itself. Her life and her actions, her choices and her attitude teach me how to be a godly woman, how to love my husband and my family, how to keep a home, and how to follow Christ without reservation.

I have puzzled over her behavior, the why's of her doing things, until I have learned over and over again how each puzzling behavior is a demonstration of her faith. Each time I have puzzled, I have eventually been taught by God something I really needed to know. I have learned what submission really looks like, submission to God evidenced in so many ways, including by submission to her husband. I have learned surrender to the will of God at a time when I was struggling with a very painful and debilitating injury and the excrutiating treatments for that injury. I learned that the purpose of housekeeping is to be ready to serve, to entertain, to take advantage of opportunities that come up. I learned how to love my husband by watching how she loves hers. I have learned how to express genuine admiration, by watching her. I have watched how the most seemingly strong and capable tough guy is both gentled and built up by the loving admiration of his wife. I have watched as she deflates an angry situation through a gentle word that would have choked me. I have learned to speak gentle words when I want to bite back (if only I practiced that more often).

I have watched Kathi go to the Lord with her pain and face the day, her family, friends, work associates and irritating people with grace and good cheer.

I so want to be like Kathi. She is a woman greatly to be admired. Some people miss that because they seem to believe that anyone who is as cheerful as Kathi must either have no problems or be a moron. The truth is so different. Kathi has painful things in her life, but she chooses not to let them rule her. She is quick-witted and very intelligent woman who chooses to be cheerful rather than glum. That is so foreign to so many of us!

One day I would like to write a book for women describing lessons from Kathi. In the meantime, I will soak up every bit of time with her I can get, and will continue to work toward the day when I can be half the woman she is. You are unlikely to ever hear her speak at a conference or seminar, because she does not call attention to herself and somehow people miss her greatness. But if you one day see her name listed as speaker, do whatever it takes to listen to her. It would be a great benefit to you.

Living With Fibromyalgia

Living With Fibromyalgia Or Any Other Chronic Pain Syndrome

I was 27 when the doc told me that Fibromyalgia was the name for the galloping pains I had developed throughout my body. It was strange to me that sometimes it would hurt to hold a pen, or to walk, or do any of the normal activities of life. The doc told me I could go on disability because of it. This is back in the days when a diagnosis was pretty certain, and not given lightly. Back when it was nearly impossible to get that diagnosis due to the lack of information, lack of understanding, etc. Some skeptical medical people today will look at the time of my diagnosis as a sign of an accurate assessment. At any rate, when the doc told me I could probably go on SSI, something in me rebelled. Part of it is the Viking in me, and part of it was just fear that I would climb into bed and never get out.

If other FM people read this they are likely to be offended, but I really believe that my determination not to be crippled is what has kept me from being crippled. Most of the time I ignore it. Sometimes I am trying to figure out why something aches and I will suddenly remember...oh, yeah. It's not exactly whistling in the dark, but something like it.

My experience has been this...FM is like a flower in the garden. Given enough attention it will likely grow tall and take over, but if I ignore it, it will likely survive, but will stay insignificant, except for those periods of monsoon rains, or if I leave the sprinkler on too long and allow it to get a full long drink. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone else, but for me, paying it attention allows it to be a much bigger part of my life than I want. It's bad enough when it forces me to take notice, but like other chronic conditions, do what the doctor says, but don't focus on it. Ignore it as best you can and keep going.

I refuse to let FM take things like rappelling or whitewater rafting away from me. Sure I might be crippled for a few days afterward, but I will have done it!

The unwilling concessions I have made to this condition are these: 1. Refrain from using power tools. The vibrations make my wrists ache so bad I want to cut off my hands. 2. Don't do too much housework at once. Suffering for housework is silly, don't you think? 3. When something big is coming up, take it easy for a while before you go. 4. Don't go building houses. I would love to go on the mission trip, building or renovating for underpriviledged people and churches, but for me to go, much as I want to, means that I'm taking the place of a fully able-bodied individual. Some of these people can do physical labor for 10-14 hours a day. If I push it, I've got a good 2 or 3 hours of physical labor. 5. Don't buy a farm unless you can afford help to run it. 6. There's no shame in asking for help, though sometimes I feel like there is. 7. Your chiropractor and massage therapist are not optional. 8. Ibuprofen, while not for everyday use, is a wonder, and comes in industrial size bottles at Sam's Club and Costco.

What would you do if you knew there would be pain afterward? I'd be willing to bet that most of us would do plenty. Would you give up all the fun and challenging things in life to be pain-free? No way! Pain is a good thing. It is our bodies way of warning us, and lack of pain is a serious and dangerous condition that you don't want! Can you say leprosy? Being unable to feel pain is a terrible thing.

Anyway, them's some of my thoughts on the subject. And remember...you only have to use the parts of your body you want to continue to function, okay?

Water, Water Everywhere And Then I'm In The Drink.

It was an incredibly warm June. Warm and dry. Our typical afternoon showers abandoned us here in Colorado and headed elsewhere. I returned to Colorado from an atypically hot dry Oregon, to rain showers. Fortunately the rain did not interfere with our landing, the lightening being a safe distance away.

It has rained every day since, and not our typical light afternoon shower. It has rained and rained and rained. July 4th we needed sweatshirts after a really strong rain cooled temps before sunset. It rained or sprinkled during our entire rafting trip. I was really glad we decided to splurge and rent wetsuits and splash jackets. It would have been miserable without them. One great thing about the rain is that it kept the bugs away. We could see them in the air, in the midst of pouring rain, tempting swallows to dart across the river for a wet feast, but the biting insects seemed to be missing.

The other plus is that sunscreen was unnecessary. The clouds were thick enough to keep us tan free.

I'll admit that I was concerned that I might not be able to pull my paddle enough to be a help and not a liability, but I did okay. At one point, hitting a rapid just right, and with the right surge of water, and all, I found my face in the river. I knew I was being thrown from the boat. One hand kept a grip on my paddle, while with the other I grabbed for the line on the side of the boat. If I was going in, at least I wasn't going to get away from the boat. I remember being surprised that the water wasn't colder. The rain felt colder than the river. Almost before I had a chance to process those thoughts, I was upright in the boat. The guide had grabbed my life jacket, and Steve had my foot. They kept me from going over completely. I'm not sure how much of me made it in the water, but my hair and hat were completely drenched, so my sense is that my whole head was under.

It was fun, but the jolt either of being thrown or being stopped so abruptly have given me some pretty strong aches and pains. About 6 or 7 on a 10 point scale. Not enough to scream, but enough to wince, moan, even cry a bit, and enough to send me to the Ibuprofen bottle, taking more than most could handle, or would need. A typical 400 miligrams does nothing for other than a mild headache with me, but 800 mg last night still didn't cut it. Today it was 1200 mg before I could move with ease. Oh the joys of FM. Before you ask, yes. It was worth it. Yes. I would do it again. I'm not sure I want to take a full-day trip, or to go on the stronger rapids. Your attachment to the raft is so minimal that it's a wonder we don't all wind up in the drink. To me anyway.

It's great fun though. It amazed me how concerned I was to pull my paddle properly for the benefit of everyone else. I was really impressed with our guide. Being right in front of her, I was able to see and feel how much work she put into the trip. She is the rudder, and knows the best paths down the river. While it might have felt like we were doing all the work, I could feel her straining to rudder the boat into the right path, the right current.

Just as a side note: Once your wet suit is wet, don't go to the bathroom until you have no other choice, because that suit is not coming back up without calling in the marines. For that reason, make sure you wear shorts over your swimsuit if you don't want to be exposed for the remainder of the trip. I'm glad was wearing those tangerine shorts under the wetsuit, that's all I'm saying.